Comments on: [Clannad] Reflections on the Conclusion of Kotomi’s Arc [serious analysis]

By: FlameStrike

FlameStrike — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 07:30:10 +0000

“So yeah, I noted that Teddy Bear catalogs are kept in manila envelopes, that a bunch of teenagers can create a beautiful garden in someone else

By: Mo

Mo — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 23:22:07 +0000

[...] However, the case really does seem different in many a visual novel, and Kotomi’s one such unfortunate example. As blog feedback has been indicating, Kotomi’s a sort of mixed bag: she’s one of the most adorable characters since the history of ever, but her story just doesn’t click as Jeff Lawson in one of the above posts puts it: [...]

By: DS

DS — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 07:17:33 +0000

@Mike: Maybe there are SF elements we don’t know about, like maybe the plane her parents were on is the one from the TV series Lost?

@Sylon Beta: I guess they can’t take the romance too far if they want him to end up with Nagisa :)

@CCY: The thing she was really upset about must have been her lack of gardening skills, but she was too embarrassed to ask for help. When her friends fixed her garden, she was suddenly better and ready to go to school. lol

@hashihime: Maybe we are too jaded, or perhaps the plot manipulations are just too obvious in this one!

@DrmChsr0: Your comment almost made me cry (or laugh).

By: Sylon Beta

Sylon Beta — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 09:37:23 +0000

@DrmChsr0: Unrelated, but apparantly Maeda Jun is going to step down as main scenario writer. Instead, Tonogawa Yuuto, who worked on Little Busters! will be taking over, or so Wikipedia says. I suppose that would be good news to you?

By: DrmChsr0

DrmChsr0 — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 02:22:27 +0000

My only actual experience with Key writing comes from planetarian, so bear with me for a bit.

Unfortuantely, Key is very good at taking the emotional mallet (or M1 Abhrams from 5 storeys, or Barret M900, or- You get the picture.) and whacking people over the head with it. It’s an annoying way to evoke emotions, really…

Sometimes I imagine Jun Maeda throttling me as I watch Clannad/Kanon/AIR or read planetarian, threatening me to cry the Pacific Ocean, or esle I would DIE.

In fact, the kind of suspension of disbelief needed for any of the games is so extreme I can’t help but laugh sometimes. Then I actually do it because it feels good to feel something other than pure unadulterated rage. Or randomness.

tl;dr, I’d rather suspend my disbelief and cry than not feel anything. Tears are a very good indicator of the fact we are human. That and red blood. Don’t ask me why I said the last bit.

By: hashihime

hashihime — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 20:28:18 +0000

I have no problem suspending disbelief. I am never inclined to laugh at this show. But neither am I much inclined to cry. Despite some wonderful voice-acting and some touching moments, Clannad just doesn’t have as much emotional power for me as I would like.

By: Etoh

Etoh — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 19:57:52 +0000

Some excellent analysis there. I agree that people are more willing to suspend disbelief if it is overly fantastical. It was harder to swallow than the previous arc as it felt like a highly improbable slice-of-life dorama. However, I still found it touching and enjoyable.

By: CCY

CCY — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 18:15:27 +0000

Would have to agree with Mike about you nailing the analysis of this: it was a good arc, but one that wasn’t very touching due to it’s stretching of disbelief.

And on your last note, I wish they had done something more about how Kotomi returned to school herself. It really confused me for a bit when she suddenly appeared in the garden and was all “I’m happy now.” Certainly that could have helped her story a bit, although a monologue from the girl’s side about how she’s learned to get over it, isn’t exactly Key’s style.

By: Sylon Beta

Sylon Beta — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 09:26:51 +0000

I have to say that while editing Kotomi’s focus from the protaganist to her friends is plot friendly, it sort of reduced the impact of the plot on a whole. Especially after the quote from The Dandelion Girl, which led to people drawing, or trying to draw, parallels between them, which doesn’t quite work out due to the element of romance in The Dandelion Girl. Oddly enough, though, I can imagine the quote and the parallels working out great in the game, or in a romantic setting, especially with the past and all.

By: Mike

Mike — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 07:25:43 +0000

Hammer to the nail, DS. I felt just like you did: neutral, aware of the good parts but emotionally unstirred, unlike with Fuko’s arc. This arc really did seem like a step backward, with plot elements that stretched my suspension of disbelief to the breaking point–and it’s one that’s been stretched mightily by my experience with anime already! :) You especially hit it right when you say that it’s somehow easier to swallow Fuko because her story has more overt fantasy elements than this one, which is supposedly “realistic”–and thus has a higher bar of realism to go over. I’d thought there would be SF elements in this arc, but they were unfulfilled.

For me the amazing thing is how much I still like this show on the whole, because I normally dislike this genre. That’s already an accomplishment!